"Scottish officials drop photo ban on 9-year-old’s school lunch blog" by Karla Adam | Washington Post, June 30, 2012
LONDON — What 9-year-old Martha Payne has for lunch at school has become of interest to thousands of people — perhaps even millions.
The girl’s blog, NeverSeconds, chronicles the low points (sausage and bean pita pocket) and even some high points (macaroni and cheese) of school lunches, complete with photos.
Recently a local government council in her hometown in western Scotland banned photography in her school’s cafeteria, putting an end to her project. But a worldwide outcry forced officials to drop the ban.
Martha, an aspiring journalist, began the blog in late April as a writing project with her father. With permission from her teachers, she posted photos of her school lunches alongside commentary on each meal’s tastiness, nutritional value, the number of mouthfuls it took to eat it, and whether any hairs had been found.
Some of the photos were “shocking to adults — my kids didn’t bat an eyelid — and I think that’s why the blog took off,” said Martha’s father, David.
Then on May 25 Martha wrote, “It happened today! As we lined up for lunch we were officially told that we are all allowed as much salad, fruit, and bread as we want and that we had always been able to.”
The council insists it has not made any tweaks to the school meals based on the blog.
With a month left until summer vacation, it seemed like Martha’s project would come to a screeching halt after she wrote a post titled “Goodbye,” explaining that she had been pulled out of her math class and had been told to stop taking photos of her school meals.
In a lengthy statement, the council defended the ban, saying the media attention had left the kitchen staff fearful of losing their jobs. The council also said Martha’s photos misrepresented the variety of food offered at the school.
So many people jumped on Twitter after the decision that “Martha” was trending worldwide. The number of hits on the blog leaped from 2 million to more than 5 million in one day.
Gee, the AmeriKan media sure can find those blogs when they want.
Amid the torrent of bad publicity, the council swiftly revoked the ban. The council’s leader, Roddie McCuish, said, “There’s no place for censorship in Argyll and Bute Council. There never has been and there never will be.”
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Also see: UK school lunch blog photos back on menu
Wow, that AmeriKan media can sure serve up some tasty stories, 'eh?
So what should I have for lunch, readers, beef or chicken?
"Boston swept up by ‘better burger’ boom" by Devra First | Globe Staff, July 05, 2012
“It’s a craze. Everybody’s doing it, and I’m jumping on the bandwagon.”
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The “better burger” label refers to more-upscale, fast-casual restaurants serving sandwiches made from higher-quality ingredients, often with customizable or innovative toppings.... quality food in a fast-food setting.”
You mean it's not pink slime?
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With its emphasis on higher-quality beef, the new breed of burgers may also appeal to diners concerned about food safety. Books like Eric Schlosser’s “Fast Food Nation” have raised awareness about potential dangers associated with large-scale meat production, says Warren Belasco, a visiting professor of gastronomy at Boston University who has taught a course called “The Many Meanings of Meat.”
“There’s a certain fear of not only the toxic factors of chopped meat but also environmental questions and even animal-rights issues,” he says. “The feedlot and slaughterhouse are major sites of contamination. If you bypass them with the smaller-scale and the more local, the assumption might be it’s safer and better for everyone. Even the animals are happier. There’s a virtue factor.”
Yeah, vegetarian is the way to go.
With so many burger joints now in the area, one might think entrepreneurs planning new ones would worry about market saturation. Not so, they say. People are always going to want more hamburgers....
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UPDATE: 25 best burgers around Boston
Better go with the poultry:
"McDonald’s adding chicken items" by Leslie Patton | Bloomberg News, July 03, 2012
CHICAGO — As McDonald’s Corp.’s new chief executive, Don Thompson, steps into the job at the world’s largest restaurant chain, customers may see more new chicken items instead of beef.
Thompson is looking to McDonald’s 160- item recipe book, which includes bone-in chicken wings and cashew teriyaki salads with chicken, to attract new customers.
“Some great examples include our large wrap in Europe and snack items like Chicken McBites,” he said. “Our customers have given us permission to stretch our brand, so we are entering new categories with new products.”
Chicken can be priced lower than other protein, said Bryan Elliott, a Raymond James & Associates analyst. “The consumer is expressing some recent signs of distress” and chicken costs are “cheap relative to beef right now by a lot.”
Translation: Since your standard of living is dropping through the floor because of bankster looters and their Fed tool you have to accept an inferior cut of meat, 'murkns.
Chicken also is “perceived to be healthier,” Elliott said. “That could certainly be a factor in their thinking.”
I'm going to go grill a steak.
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The Globe always leaves me feeling so full up.
That been checked by the USDA?
